My daughter - Grace Anne and I decided to do some snake hunting this weekend in the Flint Hills at Camp Wood YMCA near Emporia, Kansas. We found colorful Milk Snakes, Common Garter Snakes, Ringneck Snakes and lots of Great Plains Skinks (lizards).
One of the most interesting animals we typically find in that area is the Common Desert Centipede also known as the North American Tiger Centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha). These typically grow approx. 4"- 5" in length. Scary to look at but fascinating to watch. The photo above is the specimen we found, taken by Grace Anne.
She also took the photo of the colorful collared lizard at the very top of the blog.
Centipedes use structures called gnathosomes or gnathopods to inject venom into their prey. These are paired pincer-like appendages in front of the legs. The “bite” is actually a pinch. In general, centipedes can live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found not only in a desert habitat, but also in the tropics, and at the seashore. Desert centipedes are found throughout the southern US including Kansas. They are carnivores eating such foods as insects, lizards, frogs, and rodents. During the daytime desert centipedes will spend their time underground or under rocks concealed from the sun. Although this species typically live in dry terrain they will dry up and die easily if left exposed to the sun. Little is known about life span but estimated they can live 5+ years.
Interesting fact: Centipede mothers take care of their eggs coiling around and grooming them. They may do this to protect them from mold and bacteria. Once the young hatch, she will care for them for a few more days until they disperse. A great website that shows the mother w/babies - http://cacoseraph.exofire.net/centis/index.php
What happens if you're bitten? I've read the bite can be intensely painful to mildly sore.
Want to see an actual bite and the write up about it? I searched all over and found this website. If you're squeamish, avoid!
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?postid=521021#poststopNext blog - next week
Hi, Dan. As you know, we live in SW Missouri, and I have never seen a centipede as large as the one shown in your blog. However, I did have a painful encounter with a smaller, brown centipede that decided my bed was a nice, warm place to be - until I rolled my leg on it, and I had a nice sting. I had never seen or heard of them until this happened to me, and since it was about 2:00 am, I decided to check it out online, where I learned that their stings are pretty much harmless. Mine was about like a little bee sting, but it was certainly enough to wake me up. I also learned that it's fairly common to find them in one's bed, since this particular species likes warmth and darkness. They like to lurk in our clothes hamper, too. As long as they stay in the clothes hamper and other dark places and destroy other bugs, I'll leave them alone; I'll just be careful sorting laundry!
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ReplyDeletehouse centipede bite symptoms